Diamond Bonds (37 page)

The queen’s eyes bulge, and even Haran looks uneasy at the declaration.  The guards by the king tense at the arrival, as do the ministers.  However, the convicts themselves appears bewildered as to why they’ve been summoned.  Several even look afraid.

Di’s brow furrows as she watches the men come closer, worried about the nature of this exercise.

The general turns and addresses the men before him.  “Each of you has been convicted of murder.  Your death sentences will be executed tomorrow at sunrise,” he declares, which is apparently news to the group.  “However, I’ve decided to lend you a chance to keep your life.”  Pausing for effect, he explains, “You will do battle with an opponent of my choice.  If you win, you are free to go.  Does anyone object?”

Di gulps, now seeing exactly what the general has planned.  The convicts are clearly confused, but no one is willing to turn down such an offer.

Graff looks to an escort.  “Give them your sword.”

The soldier is bewildered by the order, but when it becomes apparent his superior isn’t joking, he unsheathes his weapon and tosses it in front of the group.  It clangs loudly in the chamber, shimmering in the glow of the hall’s light runes.

The gruffest specimen doesn’t hesitate.  He steps forward and takes it, tightly gripping the handle.  His muscles bulge while he skillfully twirls the blade in his hand.  He points the sword at Graff and growls, “Come, let me kill you.”

“Me?” the general asks, a grin on his face.  “Oh no, I have no intention of fighting you.”  He prods Di forward.  “You’ll be fighting this one.”

The queen gasps, and the king shifts uncomfortably in his seat.  The convict looks in confusion at the petite child in front of him.  “Her?”  He stands tall over the girl, glaring at her before looking up at Graff.  “No, I said I will kill
you!
”  He flings Di aside and dashes toward Graff, who frowns at the demonstration gone wrong as he unsheathes his sword in defense.

In the blink of an eye, Di appears between the general and his aggressor.  The symbols on her hands aglow, she raises a palm and intercepts the strike with a large shield of air.  The assailant’s blade deflects, allowing Di to drop the wall and punch him hard in the stomach.  She unleashes three quick strikes in succession before swiping the man’s feet out from under him.  He hits the ground, and Di stomps on his head to knock him out.

The audience chamber fills with murmurs from the ministers and prisoners alike.  Graff sheathes his sword, stunned by the sudden aid he received from the girl who had just been flung to the ground.  He never gave her an order, and he refuses to believe her actions stemmed from goodwill.

“Take that man back to his cell,” Graff orders.

As the soldiers drag the abused prisoner out of the hall, the other convicts stand in bewilderment.  Determining this time to play by the general’s rules, one grabs the sword from the ground and charges Di.

Pleased to have his demonstration in order, the general orders, “Diamond, knock that man unconscious.”

This convict strikes boldly at Di, intending to cut through whatever barrier she had constructed before.  But instead of performing that particular defensive maneuver, she merely sidesteps the strike and elbows him in the side of the head, finishing the fight with a single blow.

“This is going too fast,” Graff mutters to himself.  He calls out to the guards, “More swords!  One for each of them!”

The soldiers eagerly volunteer their weapons.  The convicts hesitate, so Graff declares, “If any one of you kills her, you’ll all be set free!  So come at her, all four at once!”  Desperation kicking in, they each scramble for a sword, and Graff says, “Have at it, Diamond.  Take them all out.”

The relatively tiny girl excitedly calculates how best to take out each of her opponents.  She deflects each strike with miniature shields of air while perfectly counterattacking each one.

Graff looks expectantly to the king, whose expression says it all.  He’s awestruck at the sight of this small girl taking out convicted felons three times her age.  Still, Graff feels like the demonstration is lacking something, and he looks back at Di with a frown.  Having already dispatched half her opponents, she’s facing off with the last two.

“Diamond, I wish to give you a new order!” Graff calls out.  “I want you to kill those men.”

The order startles the convicts.  Desperate to survive, one barrages the girl with heavy attacks.  However, she perfectly blocks each strike, greatly enjoying the rush of the battle.

Eventually, Di deflects one of his attacks with a single hand, a shield of air protecting her from the blade.  She steps into the convict and punches him square in the stomach, and her assault ends there.  The convict groans as he leans into the girl, not moving.  Graff strains his eyes, trying to figure out why the fight ended so abruptly, and it becomes apparent that Di didn’t just punch the man.  A blade of solidified air is penetrating the man’s back, visible only because of the blood streaming down its sides.  Mercilessly, Di dissipates the weapon and lets the man fall.

Her remaining opponent tries to blindside her with a heaving strike across her side.  Di flips into the air just in time to avoid the attack, leaping over the blade and landing cleanly on her feet.  The convict recovers and prepares to strike again, but Di meets his blade with her own.  There is no deflection as her sword cuts cleanly through the steel blade of her opponent.  Clearly expecting this, she uses her momentum to swing around and cut the man across his chest.  Her victim collapses, and Di extends the air blade to her side.  She dispels the weapon, freeing the blood to fall to the ground.  Each drip echoes out in the dead silence of the chamber.

Soldiers rush to each of the felled opponents, checking for life signs.  One calls out to the general, “He’s dead, sir.”  The other one confirms this as well.

As Di regains her senses, she stares in horror at the men she just killed.  Tears well up in her eyes as her entire frame trembles.

Seeing her state, Graff hurriedly orders, “Diamond, wait outside.”  She immediately obeys, running to the end of the hall and flinging the doors aside with ease as she escapes the throne room.

The general turns to his awestruck audience as the soldiers clean the mess Di made.  “Your Majesties,” he boasts, “that is the power of this weapon.”

Haran stands and applauds, prompting his officials to do the same.  “General, that was the most amazing feat my eyes have ever seen!”

Graff hides his approval of the response.  “I suspect she is capable of far more than what we’ve witnessed.  As you’ve now seen, she is an air shaper on top of everything else.  We need to push her harder and see what she can do.”

“I concur,” says the finance minister.

“Such finesse,” Reece adds.  “We must test her.”

“Indeed, General,” the king agrees.  “Give her more of these tests-”

“You’re horrible, all of you!” the queen interrupts, forgoing protocol as she wipes away tears.  “She’s a
child!
”

“Saleen, remember your place,” Haran urges, perturbed by the outburst.

The general’s brow furrows.  “Actually, Your Majesties, the source who led us to Diamond claims she is not a human child.  Of all things, she may be a rune from the Third Kingdom.  A special rune called a runic.”

“That girl… a rune?” Haran asks, eyeing his science advisor.

Laffel adjusts his thick spectacles.  “That isn’t possible.  It’s more likely the Third Kingdom weapon somehow infused this ability within her.”

“Unfortunately, we have no way to know for sure,” the general admits with a grimace.  “What we know is what I have demonstrated.”

Queen Saleen abruptly stands and bows to her husband.  “I’ll take my leave, Your Majesty.”  She descends the stairs, giving Graff a cold stare as she rounds the platform and heads for her private chamber in the back of the hall.

Haran sighs.  “Her compassion is both her greatest strength and her greatest weakness.  I can understand her concerns, but if that girl can prevent another war, we must use her.  Alleria will have nothing like this on their side.”

“Agreed, we must find a way to make its power known to the Allerians,” Graff coyly says, “but based on my observations in the Berev, I believe there are at least three other weapons like Diamond.  We must secure them for ourselves before the Allerians are made aware of this power.”

“The Academy should have first access to this purported Third Kingdom chamber,” Laffel interjects.  “We will decipher this puzzle with expediency, Your Highness.”

Haran nods.  “You have my permission to devote any resources necessary to this task.  Excellent demonstration today, General.  Have you anything else for us?”

“No, Sire.  In fact, I should tend to the weapon.”

“Then you’re dismissed.”

He bows and turns to leave, but Reece calls out, “General, one more question.  Your command over the weapon is absolute, as we’ve seen.  What happens if you were to sustain injuries in battle?  Can the power be transferred?”

Graff instantly knows the intent behind the question, and he shrewdly answers, “Ares claims the power can be transferred.”

“Can you offer a demonstration?”

He grimaces.  “I cannot.  Our esteemed informant failed to give me the details before disappearing.  I will interrogate him when next he shows himself.”

“And what of the remaining weapons?” Reece further asks, eyeing him suspiciously.  “Do you intend to bind them yourself?”

“As we collect the remaining weapons, I plan to divide them among my four commanders,” he replies before turning his eyes to Haran.  “Does that suit His Majesty?”

The king nods.  “Thank you, General.”

With that, Graff continues his retreat from the hall. As the guard closes the throne room doors behind him, he wonders whether the power truly can be transferred.  He expects Reece will one day demand proof of this.

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of sobbing.  The soldiers guarding the throne room doors are all staring at the girl curled up against the stone wall, her face buried in her arms.  Bemoaning that his great weapon has the appearance and fortitude of a thirteen-year-old girl, he stands over Di and barks, “How long will this take, Diamond?”  Di looks up, startled.  “Those were cold-blooded killers you slew.  One murdered his wife and two others before he was apprehended.  You delivered justice.”

Di chokes back tears.  “Doesn’t matter. You’re going to make me kill more people.”

“My will is now yours, Diamond,” the general coldly states.  “You will do what I have spent my entire life doing.  You will serve this great nation and keep it safe.”

“Safe from what?” Di demands.  “From the Allerians?  You want to go to war as much as they do.  You’re no different than they are!”

Graff backhands Di across the face, sending her small body careening to the floor.  “Do
not
compare me to those filthy animals.  I’ve seen firsthand what Allerians are capable of doing.  They aren’t in the same echelon as you and me.”  Graff glances back to the throne room doors and says, “We left four convicts alive in there.  You will carry out their sentences in the morning, this time
without
a command.”

Di rubs her cheek as a shiver runs down her spine.  “No, I couldn’t… I’ll never kill unless you make me!”

“You must learn how to kill if you are to survive on the battlefield.  I won’t always be there to issue commands to you,” Graff says in an instructive tone.  “Now stand up.”  The girl reluctantly complies, not wanting to endure another forced command.  Graff folds his arms expectantly and says, “Show me the blade you used back there.”

The small girl swings her arm to the side, extending a shimmering blade of air off her arm, extending about eighteen inches beyond her fingers.  It takes the form of a long and thin triangle, and the air forms a seal around her wrists and hand, giving her control over the blade without needing to grip it.

“From the wrists?” Graff observes.  Impressed with the flawless blade, he’s again tantalized by the prospect of using Di in combat.  “Can you do it on both arms?”  Di looks defeated as she extends her other arm to the side and forms an identical blade.

“Now you’re becoming a
real
weapon, Diamond.”  He turns to leave the receiving room, motioning for her to follow.  “Come along, then.”

Di dispels the blades and wipes the remainder of her tears from her eyes.  Her fears of being made to kill now realized, she feels the last of her hope slipping away.

Chapter 21

Era steps away from the busy market district, clutching his purchase as he heads back to the city entrance.  He’s impressed by the size of Satari.  Even Canterin pales in comparison to the cultural ambience the capital exudes.  The streets are packed with travelers and locals alike, and the peaks of the palace can be seen from nearly anywhere.

Leaving the town gate, he watches the guards from the corner of his eye, but they continue to pay him no mind.  It’s true he’s no longer wanted, but he tenses up just the same.  Prior to meeting Di, he would always playfully sneak around the town guards as if they would instantly recognize him for the infamous thief he wanted to be.  However, now that he’s had a high profile conflict with the military, he can’t help but be legitimately cautious.  As soon as he’s out of sight of the soldiers, he ducks off the path and into the woods.

Clear of danger, he asks himself for the hundredth time whether this is something he should be doing, especially with Jem and Pearl now involved.  Yet, hiking through the brush, the silence is terrible compared to the round of complaining he’s grown to expect.  He’s amazed at how much he misses Di, and he can’t shake the feeling he would forever regret abandoning her.

“About time!” Jem calls out from behind a tree.  “I was actually starting to worry.”

“I wasn’t gone that long,” he gripes as he hands the goods to Jem.

“So the guards didn’t give you any trouble?”

“Nothing.  Didn’t even bat an eye at me.  You probably could have come with me.”

His partner points to herself.  “Allerian, remember?”

Era shrugs.  “There were plenty of Allerians in there.  It’s really multicultural.”

Jem is upset as she looks the packages over.  “Can’t believe I’m buying
more
pressure packs.  It’s your fault we lost
both
of them, you know?  You should pay for these yourself.”

“I
did
pay for them both!” Era contests.  “Three days’ worth of stealing and pawning along the way, and I still barely had enough to buy them.  Why couldn’t I have just stolen these?”

“Because if you failed, you’d have drawn attention to yourself in the
capital
,” Jem explains.  “Didn’t we already go over this?”

Era pouts.  “I wouldn’t have gotten caught.”

Jem glances skyward.  “Pearl is coming tonight, assuming she comes through for us.”

“She’ll come,” Era insists.

His partner sits back down with a smile.  “You’re lucky she’s so infatuated with you.  She has no reason to help us, you realize.  You’re taking advantage of the poor girl’s feelings.”

“Wasn’t this
your
idea? Though she seemed excited enough by it all,” Era says as he takes a seat.  “Regardless, I’ll make it up to her one day.”

“With what, more dates?”

“Seems like I’d owe her more than that, doesn’t it?”

The two sit in silence, consumed by their thoughts ahead of the looming challenge.  Eventually, Era asks, “Say, Jem, why are you coming along with me?  This mission isn’t likely to, you know…”

“Succeed?” Jem asks with a straight face.

“I was going to say, ‘be easy’, but that’s probably closer to the truth,” Era admits.

“You wouldn’t stand a chance without me!” she replies.  “You should be thankful I came along.”

“I am!” Era says.  “But I don’t understand
why
.”

She hesitates, as if trying to seek an answer herself.  “I don’t know for sure.  You and I have been traveling together for so long that I… well, I didn’t want to go back to a life of solitude.”

“But you were alone for years before you met me,” he says in surprise.  “I always figured you were anxious to ditch me and return to that lifestyle.”

“Turns out it’s more fun to have someone to yell at along the way,” she says with a grin.  “Besides, you were doing it with or without me, and you’re far too dense to pull something like this yourself, Master Thief.”

“That’s because I still have lots to learn from you,” Era declares.

“Don’t you forget it!  And don’t think I have any intention of dying for you or Di.  We’re getting in and getting out.  Alive.”

Era nods in agreement.  “I just hope we can find her after all this.  She might not even be in there.”

“We’ll get information at least,” Jem says, “but if things get rough, we’re out of there.  No unnecessary fighting!  This is a stealth mission, so act like a thief for once.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Okay!” Jem exclaims while patting Era’s leg.  “Get going!  You need to spend the entire rest of the day exploring Satari.”

“Eh?” he asks, confused.  “Why do I need to do that?”

“We’re going to be jumping from a sky boat
at night
, and we need to be able to find the barracks to land on it,” she explains.  “So you need to
know
this city.  Find landmarks, measure distances… be able to find our target in the dark of night.”

“I guess that makes sense,” he agrees while getting to his feet and stretching.  “Okay, I’ll be back at dusk so we can head to the rendezvous point.”

Jem watches as Era walks back toward the city.  Anxiety begins to overtake her, and she takes a deep breath.  All she can do now is wait.

*              *              *

Graff chomps on an apple as a knock sounds at his door.  He swallows his bite without chewing and barks, “Come!”

The door swings open to reveal Galen standing in the doorway with a salute.  “You wanted to see me, sir?”

“Commander, come in.”  Galen enters and closes the door to Graff’s small office.  He shifts his feet uncomfortably, unsure as to why he’s been summoned.  Graff takes another bite of his fruit as he continues to review a document in his hand, in no rush to address the commander.  Accustomed to this, Galen waits patiently for his superior.

The general places the sheet of paper on his desk and glares at Galen from his seat.  “Commander, as you know, I’ve placed an order for you and the other commanders to gather tonight.  They need to see a demonstration of the new weapon.”

Galen nods, wondering why he’s been singled out.  “I saw the notice.  I’ll be there.”

Graff looses a sigh.  “Galen, the one thing I cannot do with the weapon is fight it.  I’ve now validated the weapon has a preprogrammed mechanism to protect its master.”

“So she…
it
will automatically defend you?  Even without a command?”

“Exactly.  If it perceives a threat to me, it will zero in and neutralize it.”  Leaning forward, he admits, “But Galen, I wish I could fight it!  I want a true test of its skill, but I have no way to do that myself.  So you’re going to fight it in front of the other three commanders.”

The prospect isn’t a welcome one.  “That didn’t go in my favor last time.”

Graff waves his hand in the air.  “No, that doesn’t count.  You weren’t trying, and you had no idea what to expect.  I want to see a
real
fight between the two of you.”

“But sir, I don’t want to fight a-”

“It’s not a child, Galen,” the general growls.  “Diamond is a weapon.  A
thing
.  It is a rune made for a purpose.”

“So you’ve accepted that man’s claims as truth?”

Graff shrugs.  “It’s a convenient explanation, so I’ve chosen it to be the truth. It helps to keep the respect of the soldiers who see it in action.  And besides that, I need the weapon itself to believe it.”

“But what if the transformation itself was the weapon?” he challenges.  “For all we know, it could have done that to
me
had I placed my hands in that stone.”

“Unlikely.  The girl has no identity, and her shaping skills exceed even those of Lieutenant Commander Rex,” he argues.  “It is a rune, Nayl.”

Try as he might, Galen is unable to picture Di as anything but a scared and frail girl.  “General, with all due respect, I’d prefer if you asked-”

“Who?” Graff asks, clearly not interested in the answer.  “Another of the commanders?  They’re all a step or two behind you, Galen, a fact of which you’ve been particularly proud in the past.”  He again points at his subordinate.  “No, I want
you
to fight it.  It will be an excellent demonstration of its power.  Naturally, I don’t expect you to win, but I
do
expect you to put up a good fight.”  When Galen shows hesitation, Graff suggests, “It would benefit you to accept this truth, Commander.  War will come again, and Diamond
will
be an integral part of our forces.”

The commander relents, knowing he can do little to contest.  “I’ll do my best, sir.  And how is…
it
doing with its training?”

Graff rubs the bridge of his nose.  “It’s a flawless soldier when under direct commands, but it’s taking too long to break its weak side.  In the last three days, it has executed ten convicts sentenced to death.  Three were Allerians,” he adds with satisfaction.  “However, despite my efforts, it hasn’t killed or even harmed a thing when not being commanded to do so.”  Pausing, he notes, “Well, except for poor Lairdly.”

“Can’t you just keep it under your command?”

Graff hesitates before replying.  “Ares claimed the runic’s power is tied to its free will.  If it becomes too reliant on my commands, it’s possible it will lose its power.”  With a suspicious tone, he admits, “I don’t want to trust anything that snake says, but this is a difficult claim to disprove.  For now, the weapon is strong even while under my command, and it has thoroughly defeated any opponent I’ve presented.  Which is again why I want it to fight with you.”

Galen salutes. “As you wish, sir.”

“Dismissed,” Graff says with a wave of his hand.

The commander steps into the hallway and closes the door behind himself.  He walks around the corner before punching the stone wall in frustration.  For the first time since joining the military, he finds himself in direct opposition to his commanding officer.  He rubs his knuckles as he continues on his way, cursing his involvement in all this.

*              *              *

Night comes, and darkness overtakes the woods.  The moon and stars are hidden from view in the cloudy sky, much to the delight of the thieves.  The darker it is for them when they make their drop, the better.

A screeching whine fills the sky.  Jem clutches her flare rune, waiting until the sound intensifies before firing it off.  The brilliant ball of red light shoots high into the atmosphere, guiding the pilot to their location.

Pearl sets the craft down and disengages the runes.  She removes her flight goggles and asks, “I take it you’re still going to do this?”  Era nods as she dangles her feet over the edge of the roof.  “Era, I’m doing this because I trust you, somehow.  Even if this plan is crazy, I feel like you can save your friend.  So in return,
promise
me you’ll come back.”

Era is taken aback by the plea.  “Pearl, I… sure, I’ll do my best to-”

“
Mean
it,” Pearl insists.

Era glances at Jem, who seems equally surprised by the conversation.  He meets Pearl’s eyes, this time with a confident grin.  “Pearl, I promise I’ll see you again.  And, well, I’d like to spend more time getting to know you when this is over.”

Pearl leaps off the sky boat and into Era’s arms.  She leans close and grips his back tightly, and Era reciprocates the hug as the emotion of their evening together floods back to him.

“H-Hey!” Jem shouts, annoyed by the display of affection.  “He said he’ll be back, so no need for that mush.”

Pearl releases her friend and gazes into his eyes.  “I know he will.”  With that, she leans in and gives him a kiss on the lips.  Jem’s jaw drops as Pearl takes her time before releasing her embrace.  “For luck,” she whispers, her eyes drifting to Jem.

His face red, Era awkwardly scratches his head.  “Th-Thanks…” he stutters.  “Are you set for this?”

“Yep,” Pearl says, her excitement building.  “I’ll circle the city twice to give you time for your jump.  I take it this is also the rendezvous point for afterward?”

“It is,” Jem affirms, still annoyed by what she just witnessed.  “Wait for us, but keep in mind that Satari is an hour’s walk from here.  Give us enough time to make it back.”

“Got it,” Pearl says with a nod.  The pilot straps her goggles back on and climbs to her perch on the craft.  “Hop inside!  I’ll stomp the roof three times when we’re over the capital.”

As she fires up the runes, Jem jabs Era with his elbow and shoots him
a look that screams, ‘
What was THAT?
’  He offers an awkward shrug and hurriedly opens the hatch for them to enter, grateful for once that the sky boat noise is so overbearing.